This is topic Woman trampled unconcious over DVD player in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 11-29-2003, 01:11 PM:
 
Here is the link.
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Woman Knocked Unconscious While Shopping
ORANGE CITY, Fla. - A mob of shoppers rushing for a sale on DVD players trampled the first woman in line and knocked her unconscious as they scrambled for the shelves at a Wal-Mart Supercenter.



Patricia VanLester had her eye on a $29 DVD player, but when the siren blared at 6 a.m. Friday announcing the start to the post-Thanksgiving sale, the 41-year-old was knocked to the ground by the frenzy of shoppers behind her.

"She got pushed down, and they walked over her like a herd of elephants," said VanLester's sister, Linda Ellzey. "I told them, `Stop stepping on my sister! She's on the ground!'"

Ellzey said some shoppers tried to help VanLester, and one employee helped Ellzey reach her sister, but most people just continued their rush for deals.

"All they cared about was a stupid DVD player," she said Saturday.

Paramedics called to the store found VanLester unconscious on top of a DVD player, surrounded by shoppers seemingly oblivious to her, said Mark O'Keefe, a spokesman for EVAC Ambulance.

She was flown to Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, where doctors told the family VanLester had a seizure after she was knocked down and would likely remain hospitalized through the weekend, Ellzey said. Hospital officials said Saturday they did not have any information on her condition.

"She's all black and blue," Ellzey said. "Patty doesn't remember anything. She still can't believe it all happened."

Ellzey said Wal-Mart officials called later Friday to ask about her sister, and the store apologized and offered to put a DVD player on hold for her.

Wal-Mart Stores spokeswoman Karen Burk said she had never heard of a such a melee during a sale.

"We are very disappointed this happened," Burk said. "We want her to come back as a shopper."

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Commentary:

Proof that Americans are the most voraciously despicable consumers on the planet. Who cares if someone is dying under my feet? I must BUY BUY BUY meaningless cheap gifts for people so that I can do my part in boosting the economy. Besides, they'll probably hold the merchandise for when she gets out of the hospital! And for what?!? Half the shit will end up returned or in a landfill anyway.

Seriously, what the hell did the store expect lining shoppers up ourside and blaring a siren? People are sheep and will herd when called. Stores thrive on this shit. They know when one animal wants something the other has, they'll stop at nothing. They should make it illegal to line up thousands of people -- clearly more than the store can handle -- and then let them all in at once. Set up turnstiles! Ropes! Corral the animals!

Attention Wal-Mart Shoppers, there's a sale on Aisle 5, so get spaztic with your plastic, man it's great to be alive!

=TMP=
 

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Posted by Travis Hubrig (Member # 1745) on 11-29-2003, 03:58 PM:
 
I think the store should be held responsible...
They need to be responsible for crowds and the possibility of someone getting hurt because of their lack of control at their facility. If someone got trampled at a theatre, I guarantee there would be a lawsuit.
 

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Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 11-29-2003, 04:00 PM:
 
TMP,

I'll be the first to say it publicly here...watch a lawsuit come about out of this incident. ok, so Travis beat me to it, but we had to be typing at the same time..

And IMO, Wal-Mart should be held liable for all her medical expenses. It peeves me that people are so damned desperate to save a buck that they get up at who knows when in the AM and fight one another for parking, line space, and items within the store(s). I went to Belk on my way to work Friday AM to grab a couple pair of jeans... there were a decent amount of folks in the store and each register had no less than 10 people in it. I turned around and walked out. %30 savings aren't worth the hassle to me. It was, however, refreshing to see how theatre patrons must feel while waiting in our ticketing/consession lines. Granted, we have a higher concentration of people in a given location at one time for more specific time frame obligations....

Stories like this depress me... and they piss me off.
 

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Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 11-29-2003, 05:43 PM:
 
How nice ... Wal-Mart's gonna place a DVD player "on hold" for her. That means she's still gotta pay for it.
 

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Posted by Floyd Justin Newton (Member # 1316) on 11-29-2003, 06:50 PM:
 
Just goes to prove...GREED "Knows-No-Boundries".
 

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Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 11-29-2003, 06:54 PM:
 
Walmart couldn't give her the DVD player for free. That would be considered a gift, and admitting they were in the wrong.

Although it would be nice for them to do so (and she deserves it, and MUCH more), it would be stupid business if they did.
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 11-29-2003, 07:06 PM:
 
Well, I guess here's another good reason to join in the Wal- Mart boycott. They are as bad as DTS about sweeping major haooennings under the rug so to say..... Walmart really does suck!
This kind of reminds me of that old Jery Lewis film called The Big Store....the part where Jerry is left standing in just his underwear after the mad sale rush.....
She'd be far better off sueing them for millions in light of all the publicity this has already received.

Mark
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 11-29-2003, 07:25 PM:
 
I would beware of the next stampede: the one on the way to the repair center for those $29 cheapie DVD players. You get what you pay for. Sure, Americans can cry and whine about millions of manufacturing jobs and now white collar high tech jobs getting exported overseas. But when you are enough of a selfish, shortsighted dumbass to only buy on basis of getting the cheapest price --then you deserve to get your damned job exported too.

 

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Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 11-29-2003, 08:28 PM:
 
The newspaper here is running a series of articles about Wal-Mart and its business tactics. I'm convinced that Wal-Mart is a creation of the devil himself. It's evil, I tells ya!!

Now excuse me -- I've gotta run out and see if I can snag one of those $29 DVD players...
 

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Posted by Jeff Stricker (Member # 224) on 11-30-2003, 06:57 AM:
 
Amen, it used to be the blue color jobs were exported offshore; now that most are gone, there's a mad rush to export white color technical jobs. Engineers in India will work for 1/6 of what they are paid in the States or Europe. You can bet that Walmart DVD player came from somewhere overseas --- it wasn't designed in US or Europe, either!!

Merry Christmas
 

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Posted by Jesse Stanley (Member # 943) on 11-30-2003, 10:13 AM:
 
I give most of them $29 dvd players 6 months and they will not be able to read half of the DVD's.
 

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Posted by Mike Fitzgerald (Member # 1304) on 11-30-2003, 11:32 PM:
 
My wife went to Wal Mart Friday morning for one of the Foreman grills for our daughter and after waiting for a hour in line the person in front of her cleaned out the pallet took about 40 of them for his cart and would not share any. I complained to the store manager who acted like he could care less and I wrote to them. Lets see if I even get a answer.
 

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Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 11-30-2003, 11:37 PM:
 
Mike,

Don't bet on getting a reply. The old addage 'first come first served' and 'while quantities last' will be the line they feed you of they do bother to take the time to reply.
 

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Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 12-01-2003, 12:01 AM:
 
Yeah, remember they are there to make money. If a customer that gets there first wants 40 of the same item, who is the store to turn them away as long as they are paying for them. There is no limit on the quantity you can buy. Might not seem fair, but...
 

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Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 12-01-2003, 02:18 AM:
 

quote:

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And IMO, Wal-Mart should be held liable for all her medical expenses.

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quote:

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Yeah, remember they are there to make money. If a customer that gets there first wants 40 of the same item, who is the store to turn them away as long as they are paying for them. There is no limit on the quantity you can buy.

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quote:

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You got family over Thanksgiving and instead of relaxing with them, all you can think of is getting up at 4:30 or 5am to nab a freaking DVD player or a pair of pants? I am very pro capitalist and if I had a retail shop, I would have no problem welcoming these sheep.

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quote:

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quote:
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Yeah, remember they are there to make money. If a customer that gets there first wants 40 of the same item, who is the store to turn them away as long as they are paying for them. There is no limit on the quantity you can buy.
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Usually when there's a "crazy" sale like this, they print "We reserve the right to limit quantities" in the sales ad. That's to prevent just that from happening. Some even say "Limit 1 per customer." But apparently, this is not a problem for Wal-Mart since all they have to do is glue a few more together in the back room and put a "DVD PLAYER" sticker on the box.

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Just for the record Thomas, that quote was made about Foreman Grills that Mike was saying his wife was going to buy. There probably was a limit to those DVD players.
 

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Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 12-02-2003, 05:56 PM:
 
It's an annual ritual for the day after Thanksgiving. TV and the press scream one message all over the place: Shop 'Till You Drop! Shop 'Till You Drop! God, that phrase is so 80's!

Big-box retailers and smaller chain stores do their best to go along. Then a woman gets trampled in the day-after-Thanksgiving crush and these stores wash their hands of the whole affair.

At Clifton Commons in New Jersey last Saturday, I headed inside The Sports Authority (a sporting goods chain) to stay out of the cold winds and kill time before my movie. The Sports Authority opened at 5:30 AM on the day after Thanksgiving -- per a sign posted on the front door.
 

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Posted by Pravin Ratnam (Member # 1417) on 12-05-2003, 01:13 AM:
 
Here is a link to an article which sheds light on the trampled womans background. She has a history of filing claims. This is most likely a ruse to get more money from Walmart.
http://www.local6.com/money/2683654/detail.html
 

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Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 12-05-2003, 10:35 AM:
 
Bah! "Local 6"... They're one of the most "sensational" local newscasts in the area. "We've discovered something DANGEROUS in our local schools that can KILL YOUR CHILDREN! --- tommorow at 11pm!"

I should contact this woman to see what it takes for Woker's Comp to pay your damn medical bills.

=TMP=
 

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Posted by Ron Yost (Member # 1850) on 12-05-2003, 02:00 PM:
 
She should know how it all works, alright. As it is turning out, this 'lady' has sued WallyWorld (and others) many times before.

Ron Yost
 

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Posted by Jack Ondracek (Member # 1466) on 12-05-2003, 02:11 PM:
 
... which means she probably has more DVD players than she can possibly use, eh?
 

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Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 12-05-2003, 03:50 PM:
 
Ohhh, a new twist to this story... but I still hold Wal-Mart accountable for less than adequate security measures.

Seems like sh emight not get much money after all. As the reporter tells, sounds like she's already gotten a bunch from them.. Fishy fishy...
 

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Posted by Greg Mueller (Member # 17) on 12-05-2003, 03:58 PM:
 
They were talking about it on talk radio today (not Rush). Seems this lady is a "professional" victim
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 12-05-2003, 07:33 PM:
 
Here in SLC an independent retailer is selling DVD players with a free DVD for 19.95! Seems like Wal Mart is not such a good deal after all. I am expecting the SL Trib to report tommrrow that an entire crowd was trampled to death in persuit of the 19.95 DVD player and DVD !

Mark
 

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Posted by Richard Fowler (Member # 893) on 12-05-2003, 09:11 PM:
 
Stampeding Mormons
 

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Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 12-05-2003, 11:36 PM:
 

quote:

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Wal-Mart Stores spokeswoman Karen Burk said she had never heard of a such a melee during a sale.

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Bullshit! What? She's never heard of Filene's Basement?!

Filene's is one of the flagship stores of the May Company, located in downtown Boston. (The corporation that owns such stores as Kaufmann's & Dillard's.) Filene's Basement is the section of the store (in the basement) where the merchandise is sold at rock bottom clearence prices.

Every year, F.B. has their annual wedding dress sale. All the past year's fashions in wedding dresses are put on sale. The store is closed the day before. Merchandise is brought in. Prices are slashed. Dresses that normally sell for hundreds of dollars are sold for pennies on the dollar, sometimes.

The doors are unlocked in the morning and hundreds of women stream into the store, pushing and shoving and trampling each other to get the best deals forst. It's a scene right out of that old Jerry Lewis movie. Literally!! It looks like "The running of the bulls" in Pamplona!! Local news crews show up to report on the event.

Filene's Basement is nothing short of LEGENDARY in the annals of retail history. Anybody who is worth his/her salt in the retail business should have heard of Filene's Basement at least once in their career.

With that in mind Wal-Mart should have known that something like this would happen. They should have done something to prevent it. Rope off an area and queue people up. Put names into a hat. Draw numbers. Do SOMETHING! Any reasonable person would have been able to imagine that this wold happen.

Those who thought up such a sale & those who allowed it to proceed are liable. They are lucky the situation wasn't worse!
 

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Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 12-06-2003, 01:11 AM:
 
Aren't Filenes and Filenes Basement not even the same chain anymore...I heard they are now completly different franchises...?
 

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Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 12-06-2003, 09:53 AM:
 
You may be right, Rach. It's been over 10 years since I've been in Beantown. I bet F.B. is still owned by the May Company, though.
 

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Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 12-06-2003, 10:51 AM:
 
With that in mind Wal-Mart should have known that something like this would happen

You mean that a minor rush would occur and some woman would ("allegedly") pretend to get trampled and ("allegedly") fake brief unconciousness?
 

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Posted by Daniel Wright (Member # 1983) on 12-06-2003, 11:26 AM:
 
You ought to see the mad rush for the holiday Barbie dolls
Wallyworld gets every Christmas. They kept them behind the counter at the Layaway dept. When It was announced over the intercom that the dolls were available there was a mad rush twords the back of the store. People would just start running. I always hoped for a good fight over them but alas it never happened.
 

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Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 12-06-2003, 01:21 PM:
 
Whether or not, the woman faked it, Wal-Mart STILL has the responsibility to look out for customers and to take reasonable precautions.

Mad dashes for "the goods" are not unheard of. Some woman too stupid/lazy to get a real job thought it up.

If the story is true (as originally posted) then Wal-Mart should pay. If the woman is lying she should go to jail. In either case, other stores should take notice and use reasonable measures to prevent it from happening on their turf.

Wanna' know what I suspect? Publicity stunt!
 

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Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 12-06-2003, 04:49 PM:
 
By the same token, the "shoppers" also knew the risk for the same reasons. WM has NO responsibilty nor should they have any liability for the actions of "stupid people".

>>> Phil
 

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Posted by Gracia L. Babbidge (Member # 582) on 12-06-2003, 07:35 PM:
 
Stupidity should hurt!
 

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Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 12-06-2003, 10:19 PM:
 
Apparently it did.
 

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Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 12-06-2003, 10:31 PM:
 
..and rightly so....

>>> Phil
 

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Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 12-07-2003, 02:55 AM:
 
is this another...
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 12-07-2003, 03:19 AM:
 
No, Carl. No.
 

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Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 12-07-2003, 03:32 AM:
 
three word game?
 

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Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 12-07-2003, 12:09 PM:
 
Don't even start
 

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Posted by Steve Kraus (Member # 476) on 12-07-2003, 04:01 PM:
 
Oh why not?!
 

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Posted by Richard Greco (Member # 2032) on 12-07-2003, 04:18 PM:
 
It'll be fun
 

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Posted by Jason Black (Member # 684) on 12-07-2003, 07:47 PM:
 
unless moderators suddenly
 

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Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 12-07-2003, 07:51 PM:
 
pull the plug
 

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Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 12-07-2003, 08:08 PM:
 
and ruin our
 

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Posted by Betsie Beadling (Member # 591) on 12-07-2003, 09:02 PM:
 
wicked cool fun
 

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Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 12-07-2003, 09:09 PM:
 
STAY ON TOPIC!
 

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Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 12-07-2003, 09:11 PM:
 
Yeah, sure, whatever.
 

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Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 12-07-2003, 11:01 PM:
 
You better Phil!
 

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Posted by Gracia L. Babbidge (Member # 582) on 12-07-2003, 11:02 PM:
 
I started this?



>_<
 

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Posted by Joe Redifer (Member # 3) on 12-07-2003, 11:27 PM:
 
We'lllockthe threadifthis continuestostrayfromtopic.
 

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Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 12-08-2003, 12:02 AM:
 
HA HA HA!
 

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Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 12-08-2003, 04:07 AM:
 
Nice "finger", Rach.
 

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Posted by Richard Greco (Member # 2032) on 12-08-2003, 10:09 AM:
 
Nice Picture Rachel
 

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Posted by Steven Privett (Member # 718) on 12-08-2003, 08:58 PM:
 
she's no DVD
 

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Posted by Rachel Gilardi (Member # 1016) on 12-09-2003, 01:02 PM:
 
There's no finger!
 

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Posted by Thomas Procyk (Member # 1170) on 12-09-2003, 03:06 PM:
 
About that woman...
 

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Posted by Steven Privett (Member # 718) on 12-09-2003, 09:56 PM:
 
The trampled one
 

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Posted by Manny Knowles (Member # 1171) on 12-28-2003, 02:56 AM:
 
BUMPING THIS UP

But, seriously, there *is* something I'd like to revisit:

quote:

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"We've discovered something DANGEROUS in our local schools that can KILL YOUR CHILDREN! --- tommorow at 11pm!"

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